Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson said today that although he would like some money to spend to strengthen the team, he hasn’t really had time to assess everyone in the squad:
“I’d like some money to spend if I could research where that money could be spent wisely. Giving me a lot now and telling me to go out and buy some players with one week of the transfer window left would not be particularly advantageous. I’ve only been here for five weeks or so and I’d want to make sure I had assessed absolutely everyone, including those at the academy, just in case we have an outstanding 17-year-old.”
The biggest concern then for Roy is that the transfer window passes and he is left with a squad that he believes is not strong enough to perform to the required level. He maybe right to be cautious about spending sizeable sums on a player if there is wonderkid coming through the academy and reserves but even without knowing every single player at the club, it must be obvious that some areas will need to be strengthened in the next week or so.
You can feel a certain amount of sympathy for Roy. Although he has resolved the futures of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, he now has to cope with Javier Mascherano, who seems intent on leaving Anfield, and the continued overtures from Inter Milan for Dirk Kuyt. On top of this, Alberto Aquilani has left on loan for Juventus, leaving the nature of Liverpool’s squad by September 1st uncertain. If either Mascherano or Kuyt do leave in the next week, we maybe three or four players short by the time the window closes.
As Roy said, he would need time to assess new targets before he even considers purchasing a player. A big task with such a short time left to the end of the transfer window. If Mascherano or Kuyt leave, Roy will be looking for a striker, perhaps another winger to replace Kuyt, a left back as well as perhaps a replacement of some sort for Aquilani. This would mostly have to be financed by the sale of Mascherano.
Roy has already got a head start on finding cover. According to the Daily Telegraph he is close to sealing deals for striker Ola Toivonen and left back Carlos Salcido from PSV Eindhoven. This would allow him to focus on finding perhaps one or two more players, depending whether he feels he has adequate cover in midfield. The departure of Alberto Aquilani means there is less strength in depth in midfield, and departure of either Dirk Kuyt or Mascherano would increase the need for greater cover.
An immediate concern for me is the amount of wingers we have. Currently we have Kuyt, Milan Jovanovic, Joe Cole, Ryan Babel and Maxi Rodriguez. While there are doubts about Kuyt’s future, both Joe Cole and Ryan Babel are seemingly favoured in other positions by Roy this season with Babel as a striker and Joe Cole as an attacking midfield player. For me then, a winger is another area that has to be filled before the August 31st deadline. Whether there is enough time to find and assess a player is another question.
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mascherano on his way to now by the looks of things.
lfc is being asset stripped, simple!
surely roy doesn’t have to assess players in the premier league, the likes of SWP, konchesky, bridge, parker, cattermole, noble, bent, cole, young, we all know what they’re about and surely it’s the full-time jobs of our scouts to fully assess foreign and lower-league players? please don’t tell me old woy has to cut the oranges and make the tea at half-time too?
so much for javier remaining professional and giving Lfc 100% while he remains at anfield!!!
not in the right frame of mind to play tonight according to woy! i take it he’ll be docked a week’s wages for not doing his job, the little bollocks!
Mash is on is way. Roy make a big mistake in loaning out our second best attacking midfielder he should be playing behind torres. Use mas money to buy defour and ola.
He’s having his barca medical
dont panic we all knew masc was leaving if sky r rite a cleb ain that bad u know plus 12 mil
12 mil? we paid more that for masch when he was floundering in west ham’s reserves..now he’s a tough tackling target for big european clubs. Hold out for the £20mil plus, otherwise he can fucking sulk in the reserves, the two faced prick.
I appreciate that Roy may want to assess players before bringing them in but Roy’s had plenty of time now – if he’s telling us he doesn’t know any good strikers out there having been a mangaer for 34 years I wonder what he’s been doing. It’s all well and good saying he’s only been at liverpool for 5 weeks but he was linked with the job for a long time before that and knew the club’s weaknesses. None of the back room staff have changed and unless he doesn’t trust them (in which case get rid) he has to assume that players they’ve been scouting and suggesting for the last twelve months may have so me credible input to make.
Surely we all know the qualities of players in the prem and top european clubs/leagues. Pull your finger out and get signing – in fact, leave that to the scouts and the people whose job it is to recommend players and get about sorting out the coaching cos last night looked like we didn’t have a danny la rue!